Reed Schreck: Bears make only draft picks they could

The Chicago Bears had to do what they did, and that’s all you can do on the first day of the NFL Draft.

Reed Schreck

The Chicago Bears had to do what they did, and that’s all you can do on the first day of the NFL Draft.

They had to be offensive minded, and they were.

Sure, a Rashard Mendenhall would have been a flashier — and more popular — pick than left tackle Chris Williams of Vanderbilt. (“We talked about Rashard quite a bit,” said Jerry Angelo, Bears general manager, about the Illinois running back who now is a Pittsburgh Steeler. “We liked him very, very much.”)

But no running back can be successful in the NFL without someone capable of clearing holes, and that’s why the Bears opted for Williams first.

And then a running back, Matt Forte of Tulane, in the second round.

If Williams turns out to be a Pro Bowler, he’ll be as valuable as any player they could have taken at No. 14.

As luck would have it, Angelo said, this might prove to be the best year for offensive tackles ever.

“Just by happenstance, that was the position of need for us,” Angelo said.

He equated it to when they took Tommie Harris at No. 14 in 2004, when he was the first defensive tackle chosen that year.

Even if Williams fails to match expectations, the Bears can’t be faulted for taking him. Had they addressed any other position first, then criticism would have come.

Somebody selected between Williams and Forte likely will have a better pro career than Williams. It’s also possible Williams will prove more valuable than several players selected ahead of him.

The perfect world is taking the best player available and it turns out to be where you need the most help. The Williams pick seemed on target.

Angelo said that once they figured out which players they liked, they looked as hard as they could for flaws.

“We probably shot fewer holes in him than we did with the other two,” he said of Virginia’s Branden Albert and Pittsburgh’s Jeff Otah.

Angelo also praised Williams’ intelligence, which comes in handy at the key spot on the offensive front.

As for Williams’ purported negatives, one was his perceived lack of aggressiveness and another a possible neck problem. At the Senior Bowl, he failed to retaliate when another player wanted to get it on.

Said Williams: “At Vanderbilt, we don’t fight on the field — at practice or at the games — because you know it is going to cost you the next game. That (was a situation) of just showing discipline as a player and be smarter than that and not take a 15-yard penalty.

“Obviously, the Bears felt I have enough fire. I play hard and with intensity.”

He flatly denied rumors of injury concerns.

“I don’t have neck issues,” he said. “I really don’t know where that came from.”

He said he had a “typical” football injury in 2005 but that was the last problem he had. Angelo said Williams was checked three times medically, with “no red flags.”

Forte’s selection sends the message that Cedric Benson just might not be as good as the team had hoped he’d be. Imagine that. That’s owning up to one mistake, while hoping another one wasn’t made.

At least Forte doesn’t have to do much to surpass what Benson has done. Maybe running behind Williams will make him realize his potential.

Reed Schreck is the NFL writer for the Rockford Register Star. Contact him at 815-987-1381 or rschreck@rrstar.com.

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